Shay Mitchell on Instagram and Her Urge to Control Her Image

Shay Mitchell is by no means, by her own account, a “controlling” person, but with so much of her image out of her control, sometimes she needs a little stability. After all, when everyone is writing whatever they want on the actress, what’s a girl to do? Enter Instagram.

In an essay for InStyle, the Pretty Little Liars actress opened up about her addiction to Instagram and her desperate need to feel “in control” of at least one aspect of her public identity.

“On Instagram, you may see me all glammed up and ready for a red carpet, or sweaty and in braids and wearing a well-placed towel after a boxing session, or diving headfirst into a pizza. You see that because that’s what I want you to see. You don’t get any shots of what it’s like before I get into hair and makeup when I have on zit cream and under-eye gels for reducing puffiness. Or what I looked like huddled in the corner of the boxing gym trying not to puke after running intervals.”

Mitchell admits that being in the public is “weird,” to say the least. She adds,

“Social media is something you have ownership of, and that’s so empowering.”

But the more she’s become invested in Instagram, the more she’s found herself missing out on living in the moment. Missing spin classes in favor of curating her IG account has become the norm for her and that’s just not ok.

“In those moments, I realize I need a break and try to be more mindful. Maybe I throw on Spotify and relax or meditate or cook. I try to rediscover balance.

Social media can be an amazing way to connect with people. But when social media stops inspiring you and starts making you feel crappy about yourself, you need to remember what’s real and what’s not.”

Mitchell isn’t the only young celeb to have this issue. Selena Gomez previously admitted to having a social media addiction, forcing her to delete her Instagram app more than once.

What’s so great about social media is that you can curate to a tee how you want to present yourself in the world but Shay is right — it’s not worth giving up the here and now for a fake reality.

Lena Finkel is the Editor and Founder of Femestella. Prior to starting Femestella, she worked at People, InStyle, and Tiger Beat. Her favorite Housewife is Bethenny Frankel and when she’s not watching RHONY, you can probably find her obsessing over her tuxedo cat Tom or hoarding drugstore lipsticks.